Using multiple behavioral measures, pathway-specific optogenetics, and in vivo LFP recordings in mice they show that: 1) standard shock-trauma selectively enhances fear, anxiety, depression and aggressive behaviors for at least one week, 2) shock-trauma potentiates MeA transmission to VmH and BNST (but not LS), 3) this escalated aggression can be selectively blocked by a depotentiation protocol delivered to MeA or MeA axons in VmH or BNST immediately after trauma (but not later). The gene discussed is MEA1; the disease is depressive symptom measurement.